The Ethnology of an Autobot
by CaelanBell
Summary: Movieverse: A young anthropologist is given the task of liasion to the Autobots. She both fears and looks forward to the job...but will it be interrupted as threats from both her own people AND the enemy surface?
1. Introductions

Authors Note: Ok all, this is my first published story here on be gentle? A couple of things to cover...I'm not perfect, really, I'm not. I played with Transformers when i was a kid...my brothers and I loved them and to this day still fawn over all the original toys we still have up in our parent's attic. Things change over years and there have been many...many forms, shapes, and versions of our fave transformers. If i don't write something just right to anyone's standards, i apologize in advance...really this started as a pastime after i saw the movie and needed some distraction as it disappeared from theaters to hold myself over until it came out on DVD. This first chapter is mostly background...just because I'm introducing my OC and sort of pushing her into the plot.

I don't own Transformers, they belong to their awesome creators, and the writers for each distinctive branch of the stories...the only thing I own is my OC, Caelan. We're going to stick with a T rating for some mild cursing and perhaps an M rating later on..but for now, a happy T

---begin 1---

Optimus and the other autobots that had taken up temporary residence on planet Earth did not have long to wait before the government made themselves known to them. The former Sector 7, after apologizing to the Witwicky's and to the Autobots, had been disbanded for good...although some rumors flitted here and there concerning a secret revival of the not-so-secret organization. The rest of the summer passed quickly, Sam and Mikaela fell in and out and back in love many times over before deciding that a short break was in order. Mikaela was making good for her own, working in a shop in town as her father's parole hearing moved closer. Sam, on the other hand, had gotten accepted into a university clear across the United States...all the way in Virginia. The teens agreed upon finishing their high school careers that if fate would bring them together in the future...so be it. Once the shock of the battle and their new friends wore off, Sam couldn't bring himself to forget that Mikaela had gone from seriously thinking he was a new student to quickly falling head over heels for him.

"Are you alright, Sam?" the yellow camaro slid quietly up to the boy, who had just said goodbye to the girl that was on his thoughts. Sam half-turned towards his guardian and offered a half-grin.

"Yeah...I'm good 'Bee...nothing like saying goodbye to my parents _and _my ex all in the span of 2 hours" he said dryly. Bumblebee said nothing, only popped his driver's side door open, to which Sam responded by patting his hood and sliding behind the wheel. "C'mon 'Bee...Virginia awaits" and with that they were off. It was an odd caravan...led by a flame-ridden semi, a GMC topkick that held all of Sam's supplies, and a hummer search and rescue vehicle that delighted in blaring it's sirens everytime he observed Sam falling asleep. Sam spent most of the journey cursing the medic, who up until now he had considered the serious one. Turns out that Ratchet had a sense of humor after all.

--Washington D.C., sometime a couple days later--

25 years old and still a little iffy about taking the metro...even though the young woman that held her purse close to her and stepped off at Pentagon City station had ridden it almost a hundred times. Brushing loose strands of her hair behind her ear, Caelan O'Connor slid on her sunglasses as she rode the escalator up towards the street level. She had opted for simple dress pants, a pair of low boots, and a button down shirt with a half vest over it...something that a friend of hers from college had sent for her birthday...claiming that it was professional and Caelan needed something 'dressy'. She had been contacted over a month ago by the pentagon, although she had spent the first ten minutes of the conversation wondering if they had somehow dialed the wrong number. Caelan had graduated with her Master's Degree in Cultural Anthropology just shy of a year prior, her heart was in connecting with other cultures, understanding them and giving them a voice to combat the rash of TV shows, publicity, and intrusion that had befallen the world lately.

"Morning Miss O'Connor, coffee?" after the long process of actually getting into her workplace, it was music to the young woman's ears as the secretary up front greeted her.

"Thanks Jean...and please, for love of all holy, call me Caelan?" she repeated herself for what was likely the millionth time and even though the pleasant older woman nodded serenely, Caelan knew that tomorrow she would be greeted just the same. Heading down one of the halls of the five sided building, she sipped her coffee and stepped into an elevator, swiping her access card for the bottom basement level. Where her new office was located was stationed in the basement, in an area that covered two arms of the pentagon. It was here the the floor separating the two basement levels had been removed, allowing an expansive ceiling height fit for...well...autonomous robotic organisms. According to the Intel that she had been shown, Caelan was in for the ride of her life in the upcoming years. She had been introduced to the Autbots now on Earth through pictures, information, and even a short communication with their leader, one Optimus Prime. Musing slightly to herself, Caelan was certain that most Anthropology majors didn't get this chance of a lifetime all too often. She headed into her office, really a row of offices that lined one wall of the basement facility. Setting down her coffee, she sighed. Caelan had endured jokes from her coworkers about how a proper Englishwoman such as herself should be drinking tea. Seriously, was everyone just inherently stereotypical? Sure, she had grown up all over Europe, her accent was proof of that as well as the features that she had inherited from her mother. But Caelan had moved to the states shortly after the accident, and drinking tea had quickly been replaced by the sweet smell of a fresh pot of coffee.

"NBE's are in approach, Intel says they just arrived in the area and are en route now!" an annoyingly high pitched, excited voice broke into her thoughts and she turned, scowling at the man who was waltzing into her office as if he owned the place. Her frown deepened, she could only growl out his name.

"Simmons..."

--fin 1--


	2. Tell me again why he's here?

--begin 2--

Having only landed near Sam and having been embroiled in what seemed like a custody battle for the allspark the Autobots had yet to really explore Earth itself. Ratchet enjoyed surfing the world wide web to find information on the human condition, and he stated such as they stopped for a break somewhere in a field, in some random state. Sam was laying back on the cool grass, his arms folded behind his head, when the blue light from Ratchet's optics swept over his form. Furrowing his brow, Sam propped himself up on his elbows to stare at the medic.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, not annoyed...but perhaps a little leery of the random blue light that had just revealed more then he needed to show everyone else present. Good thing Mikaela wasn't here. The yellow bot just simply stared at him, his optics a pale blue rather then their normal brightness. Static flitted through Bumblebee's vocal processor as he clapped Ratchet on the back and pointed towards Sam,

"Hey hey hey...didn't you know an apple a day keeps the doctor away?" the advertisement was about some medicine and the voice was chipper and too happy, but Sam grinned at his guardian. True, Bumblebee's voice had been fixed...but the yellow mech still enjoyed searching the airwaves for proper sound clips.

"So...he's just doing his doctor thing, eh 'Bee?" the teen felt a tad bit better at that thought, even as Ratchet's optics returned to normal and he knelt down towards him.

"Sam, it appears that you have suffered from an elevated heart rate numerous times during our trip, as well as jumpiness, an inability to fall asleep and difficulty expressing yourself...you appear tense though I cannot find a reason behind that in my scans..." the medic appeared worried, and if Ratchet was worried, then everyone else was too and Sam soon found himself surrounded by concerned mechs. For a moment, all he could do was blink stupidly up at them.

"Uh...wha?" he managed to stutter out, which caused Ratchet to tut disapprovingly, repeating his last words,

"As you can see, a difficulty in expressing yourself...as stated in one of the websites i have uncovered, that is a key symptom of depression...perhaps brought on by your separation from the femme" he and the others began conversing in a series of clicks and whirs that Sam assumed was their native language. He found himself a bit miffed and a little offended that they felt the need to speak so that he couldn't understand them. Rising to his feet, he waved his hands to get their attention. Silence reigned as they turned back to face him.

"I'm fine, Ratchet...I'm not depressed...yeah, maybe I'm a bit anxious...but it's normal, I'm moving away from family and friends to go to a school that I may or may not do well in" he admitted, causing Optimus to exchange a glance with the others before kneeling down to face him.

"If that is all that is wrong, you needn't worry Sam. Your bravery and courage have helped our race to continue to live...surely that is nothing compared to this...university" he stated, amusement laced through the leader's tone. Sam raised a hand to scrub at the back of his neck self-consciously.

"Yeah...you're right...but it's normal...I promise" the others seemed to buy his response, although Ratchet wasn't content to fold back into his alt form until he had scanned Sam one more time.

"Ratchet, seriously! You've gotta warn people before you do the scanny, doctor thing..." he paused before sliding into 'Bee's driver seat. "And please...no more WebMD for you for the rest of the trip..." the medic reluctantly agreed, forcing himself to stop scanning the boy. It was hard, really, the medic longed to understand more about the thousands of medical issues that the human race faced, and Sam was the only human currently in his scanning radius...could you blame the mech?

"We're almost there, Autobots, follow the coordinates I'm sending you" Optimus' voice broke the serene silence that had fallen over the group in the last couple of hours. Being as they weren't normal vehicles, Sam had quickly learned that Bumblebee and the others could do such things as speed at the same time as jamming local police frequencies. They had taken their time in the journey, stopping along the way to stretch achy limbs and allow Sam his needed human distractions. Even so, they still had made it to Washington D.C. in near record time, which impressed Sam to no end. He leaned across the seats to take in the sights of the monuments as they passed.

"What are these structures, Sam?" Ironhide asked curiously. Up until now, the weapons specialist had little to say, only speaking when spoken to, taking in the sights with the rest of them. Sam wondered inwardly if the big bot missed Will Lennox, as he had gotten quite attached to him.

"Uh..there's a lot of different ones out here, Ironhide...there's a bunch of monuments that were built to honor past presidents...or leaders of the United States, and there are tons of others to remember soldiers" he trailed off as Bumblebee revved excitedly, the sentiment repeated by the surrounding vehicles.

"Your race honors it's warriors?" Ironhide sounded a bit more interested as he turned his sensors outwards to record everything they saw.

"Yeah...like Will was in the Air Force, the military defends our country in times of war with other countries...these monuments are a way that young people like me, who weren't alive when the wars were fought, a chance to pay our respects to those that were" he stumbled over the explanation a bit, never before having a chance to be introspective about the whole war memorial thing. Communications were quiet for a moment as the Autobots searched for references pertaining to these wars.

"I see that your race isn't that different from ours after all, kid..." Ironhide was the first one to speak, and Sam chose to simply murmur an agreement. It wasn't up for argument and there was no need to anyway...Ironhide was right, much like their species on Cybertron, the humans too had battles where they sometimes fought each other over things like right and wrong. As they approached the Pentagon, Sam continued to answer questions about certain monuments and found his history being tested as Ratchet and Bumblebee saw it their duty to quiz him on past presidents. Sam had never been so glad to see the five-sided building as he was half-an hour later. He sat up, curious as to where they were headed.

"Have you never been here before, Sam?" Bee's scratchy voice echoed through the speakers and Sam shrugged, knowing the mech could see him, without taking his eyes off their path.

"Yeah, but I'm not in the military, 'Bee, I came here on a school trip, so we didn't get the red carpet access" he admitted, noticing they were headed around behind the building, towards a section that seemed different from the rest. It was the next movement that allowed him to see how. Optimus braked a little as it seemed he went over a small incline, then the Peterbilt dipped down and disappeared. "Whoa..." Sam breathed as they did the exact same thing. He soon saw why, part of the pentagon wall gave way to an opening that they were able to go through after driving down that short hill. They passed through a hall and then came out into the open air of the basement facility. All four vehicles came to a stop and Bumblebee shook a little on his chassis, prompting Sam to climb out. Once he had done so, they all shifted to their true forms, save Ironhide. The Topkick still held all of Sam's belongings and couldn't risk their stability if he transformed.

"Mr. Prime...it's good to see you again, and under better circumstances this time around" All present turned towards the sound of the defense secretary's voice and Optimus knelt to accommodate their size difference.

"Mr. Secretary, please...call me Optimus, and I too am happy that we are able to pursue diplomatic relations" the clear voice of authority rumbled through the empty hangar and John Keller grinned, stepping up as the rest of the group formed a semi-circle around him. The rumble of an engine drew the mechs' attention behind the man as a military issue vehicle pulled up from outside.

"Only if you call me John, please..." the S.O.D. Followed their gazes and turned back to face the group as they fixed him with confused optics, "No worries, my friends, I have no intention of placing any military actions towards our allies...I just thought you would like to see a familiar face" he smiled as Ironhide revved lightly, moving forward as Will Lennox stepped out from the car, a grin firmly in place.

"Hey guys...I must say I like this a lot better then meeting while someone is trying to blow me up" he voiced, placing a warm hand on Ironhide's hood as he neared. The rest of the group greeted him jovially, Sam taking to shaking his hand.

"Not that I don't appreciate your reuniting us with Captain Lennox...but you mentioned something about meeting a liaison that will be working with us as we find a base of operations?" Optimus wasn't normally one to rush things, but his men were tired and in deep need of recharge. Crossing the United States in half the time as normal wasn't exactly an easy feat. Keller nodded in understanding, taking one sweeping glance of the way the mechs were situated.

"Give me one moment...as far as I know she's already in the area..." he trailed off as loud yelling was heard from further down the basement.

"Back off Simmons...stop messing with that...if you break it..." the female voice trailed off and then a loud crash was heard, followed by the sound of something distinctly breaking into pieces. For a moment, all was quiet and then "SIMMONS!!!!" From out of an office surprisingly near them, a frantic man came peeling out, stumbling on his feet. Not a fraction of a second later, a woman appeared, skidding out of the doorway with a small projectile in her hand.

"Nerf football" Sam supplied sagely as Ratchet glanced at him in question. The woman took aim and launched the small item at Simmons' head, where it contacted full-on, causing him to stumble, tumbling head over heels until he slid to a stop at Bumblebee's feet.

"Now Miss O'Connor..." Keller spoke up first, attempting to placate the woman before she could cause the annoying agent any further damage.

"Tell me again...WHY is he here?" she demanded, closing the distance between them as Simmons scrambled to his feet. He found himself in a predicament, torn between the fact that the NBE he had ordered tortured was towering over him, the soldier who had literally threatened his life was off to his left and the woman who was almost literally breathing smoke was coming for him. He chose Caelan as the most immediate threat and dove behind the defense secretary. Keller simply rolled his eyes.

"We have guests...Caelan...if you don't mind..." he pointed out, gesturing up at the amused onlookers. Caelan turned sweetly to them and smiled,

"Forgive me, one moment please" she said demurely before spinning back around to advance on the shaking Simmons. John Keller wisely chose to step out of the way. "If you _ever _set foot near me again, if you _ever _make jokes like that again, and if you even come within ten feet of _any _of my artifacts, I will take that Nerf football and shove it so far up your ass that you have to open your mouth to hike the ball" she growled, sending the man into near hysterics as he turned tail and fled down the expansive basement. Watching him go, she turned back to the group and smiled sweetly once more. "Now then, I apologize...where were we?"

--fin 2--

Author's Note: See? A bit longer. Took a little bit because my 'S' key on my laptop is hardly working...never realized I used the 'S' key so dang much )

WebMD is a popular website online that offers tons and tons of medical advice, I don't own it...WebMD Inc. does...all rights go to them.

I don't own Nerf either...it was just the closest thing i could throw that wouldn't cause permanent damage.


	3. Starting off on the wrong foot?

Author's Notes:

Thanks to all of my reviewers so far!! Yeah, Caelan has spunk and it appears as if she can face anything, but I assure you...she's not quite the perfect human...she just _really _hates Simmons. I'm an archaeologist and one of the artifacts I was writing my thesis report on got knocked over by one of the freshman goofing off...i was beyond mad...so that's sort of where that came from, I can totally relate. wink The song that 'Bee uses in this chapter is by a group called "King Prawn" at least, I'm pretty sure it's a group – i can't find a good solid recording of the song, only the lyrics.

Of-Light-and-Shadow – you are absolutely correct...i looked back after i read your review and saw that i had indeed made that mistake. My bad? Lol, thanks for pointing it out...i guess maybe i was thinking of Epps and getting the two mixed up.

on with the story! Still don't own anything, sadly. Although it was amusing to sit down with my 34 year old brother and attempt to play with all of our original G1 transformer toys

--begin 3--

When she turned, Caelan found several amused sets of optics staring down at her. The adrenaline seeping off of her left her a little wary as she noticed just how big they were. Sure, she had spoken to Optimus Prime over video feed...but it was quite different to be right underneath where they stood.

"Sorry about that, he was just..." she trailed off, failing to find the adequate word to describe Simmons at that moment.

"Infuriating?" Lennox guessed dryly, Ironhide chuckled and a disembodied voice came from the topkick,

"I was going to say aggravating..."

"Cocky, arrogant, self-righteous" Sam ticked off on his fingers, then turned to Bumblebee, who cocked his large head to the side before blaring out the lyrics of a lesser known, but still fitting song,

"_So easy to hate and too lazy to like_"

As soon as the words left his speakers, Caelan clapped, "Yup...I agree with him...well, actually I agree with all of you, but mostly him..." she said, turning in a complete circle to view both the mechs above her and the humans at their feet. "Well...I'm sure that you all know me...my name is Caelan O'Connor and unfortunately you're stuck with me for awhile per the order of our dear and loved president..." she trailed off and walked up to the good-looking soldier that leaned against the hood of the GMC truck that had spoken earlier. Truthfully, she could probably guess all their names, but she didn't want to seem too pushy at first.

"Will Lennox...i just got transferred here to D.C. with the rest of my family" he introduced himself, and Caelan moved on to the young guy...who introduced himself as Sam. Then she turned to Optimus. The leader knelt down further to inspect Caelan and she took an involuntary step back as his voice rumbled to life.

"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, I believe you and I had the pleasure of speaking already over long distance communications" he leaned back a little and upon her nod of affirmation, gestured towards the truck. "That is Ironhide, my weapons specialist. He has chosen to stay in his alternate form as a means of not breaking Samuel's things" the truck revved and flashed it's lights in return to Caelan's small wave. "This is Bumblebee, one of our best scouts and the guardian of Samuel Witwicky...he will be at Sam's side as he attends this ... institution of higher learning" Caelan found herself laughing as Bumblebee did a little dance,

"_100 reason to remember the name..." _his speakers blared out a song by Fort Minor and Sam shook his head.

"He did that when we met too, but at that point in time his vocals weren't fixed yet..." he glanced up at the mech in question and only got a shrug in response. "You can talk you know...it won't kill ya" he called up. Deciding to further their introductions so that they could move on and rest, Optimus continued with the only mech not named.

"This is Ratchet...he is our CMO" Optimus gestured towards the yellow and red mech, whose eyes dulled to a white and before Sam could warn anyone, Caelan was swathed in a blue light, which revealed far more of her skivvies then she ever wanted to show. Glancing down to see what everyone was looking at , she shrieked and tried to cover up, jumping out of the light to land behind the secretary of defense, glaring at the larger creature.

"The femme appears in good health, though she has a peculiar contraption where her patella and joint bones should be in her right leg" he diagnosed, acting as if people running away from his scanners was a normal thing. "I would like to study the metal filaments in her leg" he proposed. Optimus glanced from the cowering girl to the medic and released a burst of air from his vents...something akin to a sigh that they had picked up on from Mikaela and Sam.

"Hey...I'm not some specimen that you can throw in a lab" Caelan pointed out, stepping out from behind the secretary with her hands on her hips,

"Nor are we, Caelan O'Connor" Optimus stated evenly, the first hint that he was upset with this new arrangement broke through his tone as he stared down at the girl. She sighed, this wasn't how she planned everything to turn out.

"I'm sorry...you're right, I'm in no position to be snapping at you after you've just saved our world and traveled all the way here" she walked over to where Ratchet stood and touched his leg hesitantly, glancing up to find him staring down at her curiously. "How about this, I'll answer your questions if you answer mine..." she offered. The medic thought that over for a minute and opened a private link to Optimus.

'_She seems genuine, I do not believe she is a spy...though it concern me that Simmons was pushing his nose around again'_

_'I agree, old friend, but until we know her true intentions, my orders stand" _Optimus cut the transmission short and faced the young woman, optics narrowed,

"Although you are in no position to make demands, youngling...we will take tonight to consider your statements, recharge, and then talk in the morning about this possible base we were promised" he almost felt bad about the way Caelan blushed profusely, but he had to be ultimately sure that this wasn't just some trap set up by the government of their new home. It was still a dangerous territory to be treading on and the lives of his soldiers came first..before anything.

"Right then, gentlemen...we'll be happy to allow you to use these premises as accomadation for the evening. Caelan, be a dear and grab the packets I gave you earlier for Captain Lennox and Sam" the secretary's voice was crisp and firm, he knew a dismissal when he heard one. Caelan nodded and motioned for the boys to follow her, keeping her eyes downcast. "Goodnight...rest..er...recharge well" and with that Keller was leaving the building, leaving the Autobots to their privacy. Optimus wasted no time in finding out where Lennox and Sam would be housed. Once he ascertained they would be safe and looked after, he ordered his men to recharge. For once there was no argument from any of them as exhaustion set in, each folding down to his alt form and shutting off main systems for some well deserved rest.

In Caelan's office, Lennox and Sam sidestepped over the pieces of shattered pottery that lay on the floor. Sam felt bad for the older woman, whose cheeks were still tinged slightly red.

"Hey...don't worry about them, they're just exhausted and still a little confused" Lennox pointed out, showing that he too had noticed her sudden withdrawn attitude. She sank down behind the small desk and pulled out some papers, handing it across the them, sighing a little at his comment.

"Yeah, and you were totally right to freak about the blue glowy light thing...I've told Ratchet hundreds of times he needs to ask before he scans" Sam piped up, flipping through the papers he had been given. Caelan chuckled, shaking her head a little.

"I'm sorry, it's just...a couple of weeks ago I was steeling myself to actually talk to Optimus Prime over a video feed. It's not everyday an anthropologist is able to meet large, alien robots...and here I am pissing them off within minutes of meeting them" she finished her statement with a short laugh. "Never mind...the stuff I gave you has information on Sam's university – dorms, parking, stuff like that. Captain Lennox, I've also slipped in some real estate info for the surrounding area...i know how it is to move to a new place and not have a bloody clue what's going on" she rubbed her forehead to ease the tension of an oncoming headache.

"Thanks...we definitely appreciate this" Will was a little awestruck that she would go that extra mile for them...having just met the group...but he supposed it was all part of her job description, whatever that was.

"I have meetings every day for the next week...there are some places I have laid out as possible base-sites, but none of them seem to be given the light of day. For tonight, you guys are staying in a couple of suites right off the next basement level...if you head out to your right, the techs will lead you there" she offered with a smile. The two bid her goodnight and left to do just that, both reminded of the long journey they'd had...Sam with the Autobots and Will on plane after plane. Once they had disappeared, Caelan set about cleaning up the pottery...it was going to be one of those nights.

--fin 3--

Author's note:

This one is a tad bit shorter then the last, simply because this was the best place to leave off. There's a reason behind all the chaos that's happening, i promise...i just need a couple of chapters to lay it all out before it will be one of those "oh yeah!!" moments. I should have the next chapter up quickly, as it is already half written out and half in my head.


	4. The Final Straw

Author's Note:

another small transition chapter before things get explained in more depth.

I still don't own a slaggin' thing...but if i did, i would choose to have my iphone transform into a tiny pet...maybe a less-psychotic frenzy...that'd be sweet.

--begin4--

Days had passed and the Autobots had been given free reign to come and go as they please from the basement of the Pentagon. That was providing, of course, that Caelan went with them. It was beginning to look all the more suspect to Optimus that there were strict governing behind the validity of her position with them. On this such occasion, they had retreated to an abandoned parking structure on the outskirts of the city, the femme had known of it and mentioned it in passing as a way to stem what she and Sam had referred to as 'cabin fever'.

"So...you have mentioned several times that you are willing to answer our questions, it is high time that you do so" Ratchet burst forth, causing the others to jump a little at his sudden breaking of the silence. They were in their natural forms, seated in a semi-circle around the girl, who glanced up from her notebook with a small smile. So far she had just asked them simple questions about Cybertronian customs, something called holidays, food sources, things like that. For as much as he searched his processor, Optimus could not, for the life of him, figure out why such things were important.

"Certainly, I'm sorry...I wasn't aware that you wanted to ask anything, you shouldn't have let me babble on" she replied cheerfully. Ironhide grunted from his position to her right, opening a quick private link to Ratchet.

"_We've done our best to leave her behind...not let her catch up...refuse to give her a ride...and yet she still is as cheerful as Sideswipe on high-grade" _the weapons specialist almost laughed as he saw the medic shudder at the mere mention of the twin before replying.

"_It is not my decision, 'Hide, Optimus wishes to know all there is to know of her and her affiliations with the government on this planet before he trusts her as much as Sam and Mikaela"_

"Why do you ask us such probing questions" Optimus' voice rang clear in the empty structure and caused both mechs to cease all internal communications. Caelan cocked her head to the side for a moment before answering.

"I'm an anthropologist...someone who studies cultures of different peoples on Earth and helps others to understand them" she paused in her explanation to shrug lightly, "Basically, what I'm trying to do is understand you a little better. The things that you come across here on Earth are different to you...and you may not mean to offend someone or hurt someone. The same things goes for us...you're brand new to us, and we not mean to offend you or hurt you. I'm trying to gather information so that all the humans you come in contact with will understand what they're saying and doing around you...and maybe it will avoid misunderstandings" Optimus nodded his large head as she finished, researching the term 'anthropologist' on the world wide web as she spoke. It put they types of questions she was asking in perspective. It made his processor whirl as he brought up a data feed of the first time that Ratchet had come upon Sam and Mikaela. The comment on the male wishing to mate with the female seemed to embarrass both parties and it seemed as if that was what the government was trying to avoid.

"Why you?" Ironhide asked gruffly, causing Caelan to jump slightly. She turned her green-eyed gaze towards him with an amused expression.

"I don't know...why you?" she countered.

"What do you mean, why me?" Ironhide leaned forward and flipped one of his cannons forward, whirring it slightly even as Optimus placed a hand to his faceplate with a sigh.

"Why are you made with guns and cannons and everything, why are you the weapons specialist?" she was curious, it seemed as if they had particular jobs and titles...Bumblebee was the scout, Ratchet the CMO, and so on. The cannon whirled back out of sight and he lifted one massive shoulder in a shrug.

"I was created to be a defender, a protector, a weapons specialist" was his reply, simple enough. That seemed to satisfy her and she wrote that down quickly before gesturing to herself.

"I assume you meant to ask why it was me who got this job and no one else." upon receiving a nod, she continued, "I chose to become an anthropologist...I chose to go to university and learn how to interact with other cultures so that i could somehow help them. If the day comes that I find I don't like it anymore, then I can always change what I'm doing for a living. It's because of my love for my job that I was offered a job higher up in the rankings, i suppose" when she was done, Ironhide mused that over for a moment. Rather then being made for one simple task and trained in that particular area of expertise, it appeared as if humans chose their own paths and could change their designated objectives if they so pleased.

"Why is your leg made of metal?" Ratchet asked bluntly, causing both Optimus and Ironhide to turn and fix their optics on him. "What? I wish to know, and the femme has stated that she would answer my questions." Caelan decided against reminding them for what seemed like the hundredth time what her name was, it seemed pointless to even try.

"It's alright, I had a feeling that you would want to know that after seeing it" she stretched her legs out in front of her and rolled up the material of her pants until her knee was bared out to the cold. When Ratchet leaned forward and scanned it, she didn't even argue the fact that he didn't ask...yet again.

"Remarkable, as if your entire patella and connecting fibrous joints have been removed" he murmured to himself, then let out a string of clicks and whines...almost as if he were chatting excitedly to himself.

"That's exactly what it is, Ratchet. I was 13 years old when I had it done, it's a complete knee replacement...along with a little of my tibia and femur bones" she left him a moment to run a search on the bones she mentioned and could tell he was doing so by the way his optics flickered. "My mom and I were out when our car was t-boned by a drunk driver, my legs were pinned and this one was literally crushed by the time they pulled me out" she explained, gesturing to her right leg as she spoke. Again, Ironhide opened a comm link to Ratchet,

"_she did not mention anything of a mother...should we?" _he was startled to see Ratchet shake his head sharply

"_I do not think it wise, her heart rate has sped up considerably since I asked her the question, it __appears that she is in some amount of distress concerning this subject..." _Ratchet was beginning to wonder if there was any further need to continue the charade when Optimus spoke again.

"What of your mother?" the leader's voice was even and Ratchet turned wide optics to him, sending him the same communications that he had shared with Ironhide. They were ignored, however, and Caelan stiffened a little.

"She died instantly, broken neck" she said shortly, standing and brushing off her pants.

"And the driver, did they apprehend him?" none of the mechs moved to stand and Optimus pressed on.

"He died too...at the scene" she answered cautiously, picking up her things slowly as she looked anywhere _but _towards them.

"And your father, where was he during this?" Optimus still spoke, directing his optics at her until she felt that they almost were boring a hole through her skull.

"He's dead...Look, it's late...we should probably get back to the base..." she was faltering now and Ratchet raised a hand as if to keep Optimus from asking anymore questions.

"You did not answer me youngling, your father has perished, but where was he during your accident, was he by your side? Did he stay with you during the procedure?" Perhaps Optimus was trying to gather information as to what roles parents played in their offspring's life, at least, that's what Caelan told herself to keep herself calm. It didn't work, and embarrassment boiled over to frustration and anger until she finally threw down her notebook.

"My father was the one driving the other car, alright? I _told _him if he ever laid a hand on me again that I would pack up my mother and I and leave. The moment he hit me again, I convinced my mother to pack a bag and we were gone. He was at the bar and coming home when he hit us...they both died and left me alone" she was breathing heavily by the time she had finished, her voice raising several octaves above normal and her eyes leaking profusely. "Are you satisfied? The perfect example of how NOT to be human, my father killed my mother and himself and left me crippled.." she dropped down to swipe up her notebook and turned to face the mechs. "Good night gentlemen, i hope you recharge well, I'll be going now" and with that, she ran...heading for the stairs down to the first floor, where her car lay waiting.

No one moved, blinked an optic, or said a word until they heard Caelan's car disappear down the street. Then, Ratchet turned to face Optimus with what could be read as pure shock on his faceplates.

"Optimus Prime, never in the decades that I've known you have I ever heard you speak to a sentient being like that" he was simply aghast...even Ironhide wasn't saying a word out of pure and simple confusion. The leader sighed, letting loose air from vents deep within his inner workings.

"It pained me to do so...but it is my hope that it will remove Caelan O'Connor from us and allow us to purely see her motives" he explained, receiving a snort from Ironhide.

"If you don't mind me saying, sir, I think that it's already too late...she's not one of them, she ain't even close. If she wanted to hurt us, she'd be asking more in-depth questions, ones that require more tactical answers" the weapons specialist was loathe to say too much, but it seemed as if he'd grown soft with his time with the Lennox's.

"If anything, this incident has given us time to meet with the others and see what we can find without the hindrance of Caelan looking over our shoulders...Autobots, roll out" Optimus gave the order, it was only natural that Ironhide and Ratchet fold down into their alt forms and follow him out. No one spoke the entire journey except for the periodic relay of information. Once they approached their destination, Optimus ordered all of them to scan outwards..just in case. When the feed came back all clear, he shifted to his normal form, have to lean back against the wall of the warehouse, as the ceiling was too low to stand fully. A short minute later, Bumblebee pulled up, shaking a little on his chassis to knock his three passengers out, transforming and kneeling next to them.

"Yo...what's up big guys!!!" Glen Whitman yelled up to all present from his position flat on his back, where he had landed. Maggie chuckled from where she had found a seat in the hay, and Sam waved as he chose to stay close to his guardian.

"Bumblebee mentioned that you needed help in the hacking department" Maggie said simply after a moment of silence had passed.

"Yes...if you and Glen will be willing to help, it is our desire to retrieve certain files and perhaps gain an eye through a camera we have planted in Caelan O'Connor's office"

--fin4--

Author's note:

don't hurt me, i've joined the realm of cliffhanger junkies ) Not to worry, everything will start to come to light in the next chapter...as to why the autobots are treating her like this, why they have reason to suspect, and perhaps a little resolution and the start of a bit a plot? Who knows...we shall see!!!


End file.
